Thailand Mulls Over Reopening May Put Hold On Brits

[sglad]

The situation is bleak, unfortunately the last sentence to Frank becomes more of a reality as time passes. Like others, it's now problematic I can not go home for Xmas because my return to my home (Pattaya) is too uncertain.

https://www.pattayamail.com/featured...ng-haul-303409

Why not give it a few more months before shelving your plans. While it may be a long time yet before the casual tourist from high-Covid-risk countries will be allowed in, I suspect those with long-term visas, for eg retirement, spousal and student visas (for study at legit unis, not fly-by-night language schools) might be allowed in first, subject to health and quarantine requirements upon arrival. Malaysia, for instance, has already allowed foreigners under the Malaysia My Second Home program to return and Singapore is looking to do same with its work permit holders. It will be easier to bring in people who are already in the system back in as most of the background checks have already been done compared to the casual tourist on a two-week holiday. Also, you might not have to wait too long if your country has a green bubble MOU with Thailand once the scheme is implemented.

[Up2U]

Why not give it a few more months before shelving your plans. While it may be a long time yet before the casual tourist from high-Covid-risk countries will be allowed in, I suspect those with long-term visas, for eg retirement, spousal and student visas (for study at legit unis, not fly-by-night language schools) might be allowed in first, subject to health and quarantine requirements upon arrival. Malaysia, for instance, has already allowed foreigners under the Malaysia My Second Home program to return and Singapore is looking to do same with its work permit holders. It will be easier to bring in people who are already in the system back in as most of the background checks have already been done compared to the casual tourist on a two-week holiday. Also, you might not have to wait too long if your country has a green bubble MOU with Thailand once the scheme is implemented.

I plan to purchase my ticket (EVA) in August as always. My home state, California, has an increase of new cases and talk of a second wave, so I am prepared physiologically for the worst case scenario. I have covid-19 health insurance from a Thai company and health insurance for emergencies but if USA is on a restricted list all that is academic.

[gerefan2]

I plan to purchase my ticket (EVA) in August as always. My home state, California, has an increase of new cases and talk of a second wave, so I am prepared physiologically for the worst case scenario. I have covid-19 health insurance from a Thai company and health insurance for emergencies but if USA is on a restricted list all that is academic.

You don’t say when you intend to travel but if it is for the high season, November onwards, why not wait and see how things pan out? You could save yourself the money.

[Up2U]

You don’t say when you intend to travel but if it is for the high season, November onwards, why not wait and see how things pan out? You could save yourself the money.

I travel home for the Xmas holiday in mid-December returning just before the New Year. I hope international flights can resume as normal along with typical airline pricing. I know a Kiwi and a few Aussies and they will be the lucky one's I expect, but as an American I don't like my traveling odds.

[Khor tose]

I plan to purchase my ticket (EVA) in August as always. My home state, California, has an increase of new cases and talk of a second wave, so I am prepared physiologically for the worst case scenario. I have covid-19 health insurance from a Thai company and health insurance for emergencies but if USA is on a restricted list all that is academic.

Good Luck to both you and California. Hope for the best.........

[Oliver2]

Yes, indeed. Your success would inspire the rest of us.

[Nirish guy]

You'd think it wouldn't have been beyond the authorities to allow in husbands and home owners etc, even if they'd imposed a mandatory 2 week quarantine etc that would have been acceptable to most i'm sure rather than be split apart from their wife and child for 6 months, feels very heartless for a Country that prides itself on being so gentle and caring ( at least on the face of it)

[sglad]

You'd think it wouldn't have been beyond the authorities to allow in husbands and home owners etc, even if they'd imposed a mandatory 2 week quarantine etc that would have been acceptable to most i'm sure rather than be split apart from their wife and child for 6 months, feels very heartless for a Country that prides itself on being so gentle and caring ( at least on the face of it)

My friend doesn't find the Thai authorities and the Thai people heartless at all. He understands that this is not only about him and his family but about the bigger issue of public health and safety. Most, if not, all the positive cases in Thailand in the last few weeks have come from overseas and Thailand is not the only country in the region to have secured its borders for this reason.

And no, the two-week quarantine upon arrival wouldn't be acceptable to most working people. My friend, like me, has only 14-days of annual leave and by law we're not entitled to paid compassionate leave. Any compassionate leave entitlement is entirely as the discretion of one's employer as stipulated in the employment contract. Most people will receive two or three days. And don't forget, even if he could leave Singapore and enter Thailand, my friend would still have to stay in quarantine for another two weeks upon his return to Singapore. So that's a month spent in quarantine without factoring in any amount of time he would be able to spend with his family. My friend's work requires him to be on site and working from home is not an option for him. And applying for any kind of unpaid leave is far too great a risk financially and professionally right now.

And I think most Thais can take pride in their caring nature. The self-organised and supported food distribution queues is evidence of this. People have come together (including some foreigners) to help those who have lost their jobs and sources of income as a result of this pandemic. Yes, it's happening even in mercenary Pattaya where some of the longest food distribution queues in the country can be found and many down-and-out farangs can be seen in them. No, the Thais are not turning them away because they are farangs with no money. Quite a few have been given free board by temples and guest houses. There was one story of a broke farang who was given shelter by your lowly, greedy and lazy phone-playing prostitutes (you know the kind some members of this forum love to sneer at). The most touching and inspiring aspect of all this, and yet not so surprising if you understand Thai society, is that the ones coming forward to help and contribute are not the wealthy but the middle and lower-middle classes who don't have much more themselves other than their big hearts.

[Nirish guy]

I fear you've misunderstood my point SG - I was referring to other people / husbands / farang perhaps who had a wife and kids there in Thailand and LIVED with them, not so much your friend who still works in SG as of course he wouldn't be able to nip in and out for the very reasons you describe.

was thinking more long term Thailand living farang with a wife and kids who and had for whatever reason left the Country either for a short or a long time ( not that way !) and who now needed and wanted to return HOME to their wife and kids, in which case a 2 week quarantine would I thought been acceptable - but hang on - was there not such cases very recently where the Thai Government DID allow in people home on repatriation flights ( maybe this was just just for Thais ?) in such cases only after quarantining them - although was there not them cases of infection after that also - which maybe proves why it doesn't work / shouldn't be allowed perhaps I guess ?

[cdnmatt]

I'm sure I seen something come through my inbox from ThaiVisa saying Thailand is going to allow married foreigners back in starting right away here? Can't seem to find it though.

Yeah, this whole KoVid-19 thing is rough on lots of people. I have an Aussie client who lives in both Australia and China, and has a Chinese wife and daughter. They were heading back to China, decided to spend a week in Bangkok back in March, and are still stuck there now without any way to get into China since he's Aussie, and no way to get into Australia right now since wife and kid are Chinese.

He was just biding his time hoping to get back to China soon, then Beijing went into lockdown again just recently, so out the window any hope of that went.
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